In recent years, a growing number of physical processes and systems have been modeled using computer programs or other structured documents that can be interpreted by a computing resource. By modeling these processes, the processes can be studied and better understood. This enables a research or business organization to optimize the processes in order to achieve maximum financial benefit and/or greater insight into the physical process or system.
For example, one such process that can provide substantial economic benefits as a result of being modeled is the workflow which occurs in a commercial print facility. In a facility of this type, there are numerous mechanical as well as data conditioning tasks that enable the facility to operate at maximum efficiency while producing high-quality printed material. By modeling the processes, each operation and the effects of a change in one or more of the parameters that influence the processes can be studied. Further, the influence of these changes on related processes conducted in the same print facility can also be evaluated.
As part of the modeling process, a structured document, such as a schema written in the Extensible Markup Language (XML), can be used to model the print facility processes. Thus, operations such as paper handling, input data processing, raster image processing, and document binding, can be expressed and characterized using the XML schema. However, the use of a schema or other structured document does not allow a programmer to analyze and evaluate test cases in which parameters of the various operations are modified and their effect on the workflow studied accordingly. In order to perform this type of study, a programmer typically must laboriously write a computer program that allows the programmer to interact with the individual modeled processes. During this tedious process, the programmer must find a way to preserve any content or attribute models contained in the original structured document while the computer program is being developed.